


7th Inning Stretch

by Chiefchopstix



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Banter, Baseball, F/M, Implied Pregnancy, New York Yankees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiefchopstix/pseuds/Chiefchopstix
Summary: Mulder takes baseball seriously.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	7th Inning Stretch

Saturday Afternoon - Fox Mulder's Apartment, Alexandria,VA

Mulder loves baseball. Most importantly, he loves the New York Yankees. While his friends were Boston Red Sox fans, Mulder was a Yankees fan. As a kid growing up on Martha's Vineyard he could be found on Sunday afternoons at the local Little League field playing with his friends, reliving the games heard on the radio from the day before. As he approached the plate he would announce himself as 'Fox Mantle' to the boos of his buddies. When he pitched, 'Fox Stottlemyre' was on the mound. Baseball was life, and still is. When Scully accepted his invitation to watch a Yankees game at his apartment Saturday afternoon he was thrilled that his girlfriend, his best friend, the love of his life wanted to share his love of the game.

"Mulder?" Scully asked while God Bless America was being sung during the 7th inning stretch.

"Yeah, Scully?"

"You were born in Massachusetts, correct?"

"Born and raised," he says while flexing his bicep.

"Why do you root for the Yankees? Shouldn't you be cheering for Boston?"

Stunned, Mulder replies, "My dad followed the BoSox. I am a Yankees fan," he says in his best snobby voice. "Did you have a favorite baseball team growing up?"

"Yes and no. When dad was stationed in San Diego we attended Padres games occasionally, and when he was transferred back to Virginia we attended Orioles games," Scully proclaimed with pride.

"I don't understand that," Mulder retorted. "How can you switch allegiances from one team to another without giving it any thought?"

"What's wrong with supporting the local ball club?"

Mulder shook his head in disbelief. "Scully, my love for the Yankees began when I attended my first baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Dad was given tickets by one of his 'connections'. I was three months shy of turning 4 years-old. I remember everything thing vividly that day; the crowd, the smell, the sounds, the energy. It was magic. It was July 20, 1965, Mel Stottlemyre came to the plate, bottom of the fifth, and bases were loaded. Mel hit an inside-the-park grand slam off Bill Monbouquette. The crowd went nuts. Hell, I went nuts. I jumped up and down spilling Cracker Jack's everywhere. And you know what?" Mulder answers his own question before Scully can utter a reply, "No Yankee pitcher, since Stottlemyre, has ever hit an inside the park grand slam. I've been hooked ever since."

"That really doesn't explain why you're a Yankees fan rather than a Boston fan."

"You know which team they played that day? Boston. The Yankees won, 6-3."

"How did your dad feel about you being a Yankees fan?"

"I was 4. Dad probably thought it was a childhood faze. He bought me a Yankees cap at the game after I begged him. As I got older it was just another thing that drove us apart." Mulder's attention switches back to the game just in time to see Mariano Rivera get the third out of the 8th inning, "Yes! Three more at bats for us, and three more Boston outs to wrap up the game."

Scully sips her ice tea quietly while watching Mulder's child-like enthusiasm for his team. "I could see myself cheering for the Red Sox," she nonchalantly says in-between sips. 

"What?!"

"The Red Sox catcher is a nice looking guy."

"Really? Jason Varitek? That's how you choose a team these days?"

"I also like the color red."

"I'm going to try and ignore what you're saying right now."

"Mulder, I'm kidding. I know how serious you are about the Yankees. It's obvious by the jersey you're wearing."

"They're called pinstripes, Scully. Yankee pinstripes," he says as Rivera closes out the game with another save. Mulder gets up and switches off the TV. 

"Are you happy the Yankees won?"

"Yes. Beating Boston is always a good day when you're a Yankee."

"So if you had kids...."

"They would be Yankees fans. I would buy onesies, bibs, little pinstripes, a mitt, blankets...."

Scully interrupts, "....and what if it was a girl?"

"I would be just as happy passing on my love of the game with a daughter," he's says while placing a kiss on Scully's cheek.

"Good thing you're sitting down, because I have something to tell you."

•End•

• The X-Files were created by the imagination of Chris Carter

**Author's Note:**

> I've been a lifelong Oakland A's fan, so writing anything good about the Yankees pains me. The 1965 Yankees game referenced is factual, courtesy of the Baseball Almanac. Also, I cheer for the BoSox whenever they play NY.


End file.
